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Chasovnya Chapel
For some spectacular city views climb Karaulnaya Hill (theres no bus) to the little chapel which features on the Russian 10-rouble banknote (now slowly being replaced with a coin). It was designed in 1855 by Konstantin Thon, the architect behind Moscows Christ the Saviour Cathedral
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Central Park
This forest-like park, on the grounds of an old German cemetery, has statues, funfair rides and an amphitheatre hosting summer concerts.
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Kukushka.ru
A further 12km along the road passing Botik Museum is the turn-off to this unique railway museum. The collection of locomotives occupies the tracks and depot that were used up until the middle of the 20th century. Don’t miss the opportunity to ride on the handcart . Visitors are fe
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World of Forgotten Things
One of several enchanting old wooden buildings at the eastern end of ul Leningradskaya, this little museum evokes the life of a 19th-century, 17-child middle-class family. Amid portraits of bewigged children and army officers is a very whimsical gramophone that still plays and the
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Father Frost Residence
A good central starting point for exploring the town’s historic centre is Ded Moroz’s part-time ‘residence’ where the Russian Santa shows up at festival times. There’s a ‘throne room’ and a vaguely interesting exhibition room . Tours in Russian are given by slightly unhinged volunt
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Toy Museum
This charming, privately run museum presents its pan-Russian collection in three sections – folk toys, factory toys and artisanal toys. Examples of the last include toys made in Sergiev Posad, home of the ubiquitous matryoshka (nesting doll), a creation often assumed to be far olde
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Gagarin Museum
This is an interesting museum telling the life of the worlds first man in space through photos and personal objects. Yuri Gagarin not only lived and studied in Saratov, but also landed (crashed?) his Vostok 1 capsule nearby after his much-lauded flight. The landing site, 40km out o
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Suzdal History Exhibition
The Archbishop’s Chambers houses the Suzdal History Exhibition . The exhibition includes the original 13th-century door from the cathedral, photos of its interior and a visit to the 18th-century Cross Hall (Krestovaya palata), which was used for receptions. The tent-roofed 1635 kre
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St George’s Monastery
Set amid peaceful marsh and lakelands a 15-minute bus ride south of the Veliky Novgorod town centre, the picturesque St George’s Monastery makes for a relaxing excursion. Founded in 1030 by Yaroslav the Wise, the monastery functions as a theological school. It features the heavily
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Reindeer Herds
A few reindeer herds of 1000 to 2000 heads, managed by nomadic Evens, can be tracked down around Esso and Anavgay. They are reachable by helicopter in the warm months, and possibly by snowmobile during winter. An hour in a helicopter costs R130,000 in these parts. Every late Novemb
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Yaroshenko Museum
This small museum houses the works of the incomparable late-19th-century Russian portraitist Nikolai Yaroshenko, a leading proponent of Russian realism. One room is dedicated to landscapes of the surrounding countryside. Yaroshenko’s lovingly cared-for tomb is just outside nearby
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Museum of Regional Studies
Besides exhibitions on trade between Russias north and the Byzantine world, the history of the city and regional trades, this excellent museum (with English captioning) introduces you to the mysteries of ancient stone labyrinths and the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, which was
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Bolshoy Zayatsky Island
This small, wind-whipped island is famous for its 13 stone labyrinths, including the largest one in northern Russia. A circular boardwalk loops around the island from the dockside wooden church, passing by numerous stone burial mounds and two forlorn crosses. Bolshoy Zayatsky Islan
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Palace of Congress
Not a must-see sight, the palace nonetheless provides a fascinating glimpse of how a modern-day Russian leader likes to entertain guests. There’s a small collection of medals from the Hermitage’s collection here and some reconstructed rooms from the time of Grand Duke Konstantin Ko
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Ploshchad Volkova
The massive 17th-century gate-shaped Vlasyevskaya Watchtower combined with the Church of the Sign loom over this square named after Fyodor Volkov, who founded Russia’s first professional theatre in 1750 in a Yaroslavl leather store. The impressive 19th-century Volkov Theatre on the
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Lermontov Gallery
The striking light-blue and beautifully proportioned Lermontov Gallery, built in 1901 in cast iron with stained-glass windows, is now a concert hall. Closed for repairs at the time of writing, the gallery was due to reopen in October 2014. Behind are the Lermontov & Yerrmelov B
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Kurshskaya Kosa National Park
Tall, windswept sand dunes and dense pine forests teaming with wildlife lie along the 98km-long Curonian Spit, a Unesco World Heritage Site that divides the tranquil Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. The 50 kilometres of the spit that lie in Russian territory are protected withi
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Church of the Holy Martyr Mina
If you like your churches photogenically abandoned and seasoned with a dash of the fantastic, this ones for you. Legend has it that in the 17th century, Swedish invaders sought refuge in the church after a long day of looting and pillaging, only to be struck blind upon crossing the
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Turgenev Museum
Turgenev’s estate, Spasskoe-Lutovinovo, may be the literary mecca around these parts, but not to be outdone, Oryol has this museum filled with old photos and notes written by the man. There are tributes to Turgenev throughout town, including a statue of him overlooking the Oka on T
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Cathedral of the Assumption
The star-spangled Cathedral of the Assumption was modelled on the cathedral of the same name in the Moscow Kremlin. It was finished in 1585 with money left by Ivan the Terrible in a fit of remorse for killing his son. Outside the west door is the grave of Boris Godunov, the only t
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